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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 28, 2015; 21(40): 11362-11370
Published online Oct 28, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i40.11362
Irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation: Fact and fiction
Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Paolo Usai-Satta, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Cristina Stasi
Massimo Bellini, Dario Gambaccini, Nicola De Bortoli, Lorenzo Bertani, Santino Marchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Paolo Usai-Satta, Gastrointestinal Unit, P. Brotzu Hospital, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Cristina Stasi, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Cristina Stasi, Epidemiological Observatory, Regional Health Agency of Tuscany, 50141 Florence, Italy
Author contributions: Bellini M designed the review, wrote and revised the manuscript; Gambaccini D, De Bortoli N and Bertani L wrote the manuscript; Marchi S revised the manuscript; Usai-Satta P and Stasi C wrote and revised the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Cristina Stasi, MD, PhD, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Largo Brambilla, 3, 50134 Firenze, Italy. cristina.stasi@gmail.com
Telephone: +39-55-7947154 Fax: +39-55-7947154
Received: April 27, 2015
Peer-review started: May 4, 2015
First decision: June 23, 2015
Revised: July 5, 2015
Accepted: September 14, 2015
Article in press: September 15, 2015
Published online: October 28, 2015
Processing time: 178 Days and 18.9 Hours
Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional constipation (FC) are the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders. According to the Rome III Criteria these two disorders should be theoretically separated mainly by the presence of abdominal pain or discomfort relieved by defecation (typical of IBS) and they should be mutually exclusive. However, many gastroenterologists have serious doubts as regards a clear separation. Both IBS-C and FC, often associated with many other functional digestive and non digestive disorders, are responsible for a low quality of life. The impact of the media on patients’ perception of these topics is sometimes disruptive, often suggesting a distorted view of pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapy. These messages frequently overlap with previous subjective opinions and are further processed on the basis of the different culture and the previous experience of the constipated patients, often producing odd, useless or even dangerous behaviors. The aim of this review was to analyze the most common patients’ beliefs about IBS-C and CC, helping physicians to understand where they should focus their attention when communicating with patients, detecting false opinions and misconceptions and correcting them on the basis of scientific evidence.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; Chronic constipation; Functional constipation

Core tip: The media often suggests a distorted view of pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapy of irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation. These messages frequently overlap with previous subjective opinions and are further processed on the basis of the different culture and the previous experience of the constipated patients, often producing odd, useless or even dangerous behaviors. The aim of this review was to analyze the most common patients’ beliefs regarding these disorders, helping physicians to understand where they should focus their attention when communicating with patients, detecting false opinions and misconceptions and correcting them on the basis of scientific evidence.